Dyrt Report Shows 81M Camped in 2024; 5.8M First-Timers – RVBusiness – Breaking RV Industry News
PORTLAND, Ore. – The Dyrt, the only camping app with all of the public, private and free camping locations in the United States, announced the release of its 2025 Camping Report Presented by Toyota Trucks. Toyota has partnered with The Dyrt for the second consecutive year to create the most comprehensive look at the latest trends, topics and figures that drive the U.S. camping industry.
“In a wild year of economic and political uncertainty, it heartens me to think: We will always camp,” writes The Dyrt founder Sarah Smith in an introductory letter to the report. “Some trends may come and go, but the need to connect with nature — and to connect with one another in nature — is what helps humans stay grounded.”
As always, the report is compiled from the results of surveys conducted with three groups — thousands of members of The Dyrt camper community, a representative sample of U.S. residents, and camping property managers across all 50 states. According to the findings, 81.1 million Americans camped in 2024 with 5.8 million first-timers making their camping debut. Since 2021, more than 25 million Americans have gone camping for the first time.
“Increasing access to the outdoors is a key part of our mission here at The Dyrt,” continues Smith. “My favorite stat in this year’s report: Cancellations and no-shows dramatically decreased last year, which means there was less wasted campsite inventory and more people enjoying the great outdoors.”
Only 58.9% of campers said they used all their reservations in 2023, and that number rose to 70.7% last year. But finding an available campsite to book continues to be a major challenge. From 2019 to 2022, the number of campers who reported difficulty finding a campsite to book rose from 10.6% to 58.4%. After falling to 45.5% in 2023, it bounced back to 56.1% in 2024.
“Campsites are being added at private campgrounds all over the country to accommodate the growing number of campers,” says The Dyrt CEO Kevin Long. “I think the difficulty in finding sites these days is more concentrated in the highly competitive public campgrounds and at certain sought-after properties and parks that have gained a level of fame in recent years.”
The Dyrt’s 2025 Camping Report Presented by Toyota Trucks once again includes findings on camping vehicles and drivers’ preferences. More than half (53.4%) of campers say their preferred type of camping involves a vehicle such as an RV, trailer or camper van.
“The real start of every camping trip is the moment you get out on the road,” says Kaylea Spurgin, Senior Media Analyst, Toyota Motor North America. “It can be a simple family weekend getaway or a solo cross-country road trip, but either way people need a vehicle they can depend on. From highways to backroads, Toyota Trucks are the perfect camping companion.”
Click here to read The Dyrt’s 2025 Camping Report Presented by Toyota Trucks.
